Alpha and Omega (film)

Alpha and Omega is a 2010 American animated adventure film directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck. Starring the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover and Christina Ricci, the film was written by Christopher Denk and Steve Moore, based on a story by Moore and Gluck. This film sets around two young Rocky Mountain wolves named Kate (Panettiere) and Humphrey (Long) who fall in love with each other, but are on the opposite ends of their pack. However, when Kate and Humphrey learn that they got relocated to Idaho for repopulation, they must work together to get back to Jasper National Park before a war slowly begins to emerge between both packs.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2010, and was released nationwide in 2-D and 3-D on September 17, 2010, by Lionsgate Films. Alpha and Omega was a box-office success, grossing $50.5 million against a budget of $20 million, but received generally negative reviews from critics. The film was dedicated to the memory of Hopper, as he died from prostate cancer four months before it was released. This was his final performance prior to his death.

The film eventually turned into a franchise of 7 direct-to-video sequels including Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, which was released on October 8, 2013. Another sequel, The Great Wolf Games, was released on March 25, 2014. The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released on September 23, 2014. Family Vacation was released to DVD on August 4, 2015. Dino Digs was released on DVD and Digital HD on May 10, 2016. It was followed by The Big Fur-eeze, which was released on November 8, 2016. The final installment, Journey To Bear Kingdom was released on DVD and Digital HD on May 9, 2017.

Plot
In Alberta, Canada's Jasper National Park, Omega wolf Humphrey and his Omega friends attempt to log board down a hill. Meanwhile, Alpha wolf Kate practices her hunting skills on her younger Omega sister, Lily. Humphrey later crosses paths with Kate, and as he tries to join her, Kate's father and leader of the Western Pack, Winston, stops him. He reminds Humphrey that Alphas and Omegas cannot marry, according to pack law, and that Kate is going to Alpha school until spring.

Kate and Humphrey mature as spring comes. Humphrey and his friends are better at log boarding, but they crash into a rock. They see Kate on her first hunt, pursuing a herd of caribou. As Kate and her team close in on the caribou, they are interrupted by two enemy Eastern pack wolves, which causes a stampede. As Kate saves the two Eastern wolves from getting trampled, the Western pack wolves start a scuffle. Humphrey and his friends break up the conflict.

Winston meets with Eastern pack leader Tony, and they discuss the pack's food shortage. They agree that merging the packs together would end their conflict, and decide that Kate should marry Tony's Alpha son, Garth, and meet at the Moonlight Howl. Kate agrees for the good of the pack.

During the Moonlight Howl, Garth shows off his howl, but Kate is unimpressed and excuses herself. She runs into Humphrey, but the two get tranquilized by park rangers and are taken to Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho. They meet golfing goose Marcel and his duck caddie Paddy. Kate and Humphrey learn that they were relocated to repopulate the species, and agree that they must return home to Jasper Park before the two packs start a war.

Tony warns Winston that if Kate does not return, war will be inevitable. Lily decides to show Garth around the Western pack's territory until Kate returns, and they begin to fall in love. As Kate and Humphrey catch a ride on an RV, Humphrey has to urinate and gets out while the vehicle pulls over at a gas station. He finds a cupcake and eats it, the frosting covering his mouth. Two men think Humphrey has rabies, and attempt to shoot him. Kate leaps out to save him, and the two flee. Kate, disappointed that they missed their ride home, leaves Humphrey out in the rain. Kate comes across a ravine, which has begun to flood. As Kate tries to cross it, she slips, and Humphrey comes to her rescue. Flattered by his bravery, Kate begins to admire Humphrey. The following day, Marcel and Paddy find the wolves and direct them to a train heading to Jasper Park. Climbing over the snowy mountain, Humphrey finds a grizzly bear cub, and the two play. As Humphrey throws snow at the cub, the cub begins to cry, which attracts an angry trio of grizzly bears. The two log board down the side of the mountain to escape and board the train. Kate and Humphrey begin to bond.

Lily teaches Garth how to howl. At the same time, Humphrey begins to howl, urging Kate to howl with him, although it is against pack law for Alphas to howl with an Omega. Tony catches Garth and Lily and declares war on the Western pack. As the train passes by Jasper, Kate and Humphrey's exchange of feelings is cut short by the sight of the two packs at war. Kate announces that she will marry Garth to unite the packs. The day of the wedding, Humphrey bids farewell to Kate and leaves as a lone wolf.

During the ceremony, Kate backs out and declares her love for Humphrey, as Garth subsequently declares his love for Lily. Tony, enraged, orders his pack to take the valley, and a fight ensues. The sound of the brawl frightens a nearby herd of caribou and causes a stampede. Winston and Tony struggle to outrun the herd. Humphrey and Kate cross paths, and work together by log boarding down the mountain to save them. They succeed, but Kate gets struck by the caribou. As the stampede subsides, Humphrey tries to wake up Kate and begins to howl, causing everyone to howl with him. Kate awakens, and she and Humphrey confess their love for each other, as Garth and Lily confess theirs. Winston and Tony abolish the law against marriage between Alphas and Omegas, and accept a union of the two packs via marriage between Garth and Lily.

At the Moonlight Howl, the wolves celebrate the love of Kate and Humphrey, and Garth and Lily, breaking the social classes and traditions. Humphrey and Kate howl a duet.

Production
Pre-production and post-production took place in Los Angeles, with key animation produced by Crest Animation Productions in India and the script was written in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Steve Moore originally intended for the story to be more mature, but Lionsgate wanted the film to be aimed towards children, so the original draft of the script was rewritten.

Reception
Alpha and Omega took in $2,288,773 on its opening day, and $9,106,906 on its opening weekend domestically, reaching fifth place at the box office. The film ended its run on December 2, 2010 after grossing $25 million domestically and $25 million in other territories. It held the title for the highest-grossing animated film released by Lionsgate until 2017, when it was dethroned by My Little Pony: The Movie.

Alpha and Omega holds an approval rating of 20% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 57 reviews; the site's consensus is: "With bland visuals and a dull, predictable plot, Alpha and Omega is a runt in 2010's animated litter." At Metacritic, the film has a score of 36 out of 100 based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Andrew Barker of Variety gave the film a mixed review, writing: "Not without charm, Lionsgate's 3D animated pic is agreeably unambitious." Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Abounding in dumb jokes that kids are bound to like but sometimes too scary for very young viewers, the movie -- also going out in 2D -- takes too long to find its footing and at best is proficient, not exhilarating."

Bernie Van De Yacht was nominated for an Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting.

Books
Three books on Alpha and Omega have been published by Finbar and Mindy:
 * 1) Kate and Humphrey's Big Adventure/All about Wolves by Rebecca McCarthy
 * 2) Alpha and Omega: Marcel and Paddy Save the Day by Tori Kosara
 * 3) Alpha and Omega: The Junior Novel by Aaron S. Rosenberg

Video game
Published by Storm City Games, a video game adaptation called Alpha and Omega, based on the first film in the franchise of the same name, was exclusively released for the Nintendo DS on September 14, 2010 and was available in North America and Europe, although certain copies have been imported in other countries. It was panned for its poor graphics, bad controls, repetitive mini-games and lack of story.

Toys
McDonald's released a line of eight toys for the film's release in the United Kingdom.

Home media
Alpha and Omega was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on January 11, 2011, which included a coupon for Great Wolf Resorts.

Sequels
A number of direct-to-video sequels to Alpha and Omega have been produced with none of the original cast reprising their roles. Justin Long is replaced by Benjamin Diskin for Humphrey and Hayden Panettiere and Christina Ricci are replaced by Kate Higgins for both Kate and Lilly.

The first sequel, Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, was released on October 8, 2013. The film revolves around the disappearance of Runt, one of Kate and Humphrey's pups in the sequel. DVD Talk stated that Alpha and Omega 2 was "so thin and uninteresting, and so lacking in holiday spirit, that you're not going to be pulling this one out each year when the holidays roll around" and that the film's price combined with its film length made other film choices "even more attractive." Common Sense Media gave the film a 1 out of 5 stars and wrote that the "Faux holiday-themed sequel is weak and forgettable."

Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games, based on the Winter Olympics and directed by Richard Rich, was released on iTunes on March 4, 2014, and it was later released on March 25, 2014 as a Walmart Exclusive. Common Sense Media gave Alpha and Omega 3 a mixed review, with three out of five stars, writing that the "mildly amusing sports-themed sequel is fun for young kids." The film was released shortly after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on which it is based.

Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was produced by Crest Animation Productions and distributed by Lionsgate Films. Written by Tom Kane and directed by Richard Rich, it is the fourth film in the franchise. The film was released to iTunes on September 23, 2014   and was released to DVD on October 7, 2014. The plot involves Runt exploring the Saw Tooth Cave and finding a wolf who has been driven from her pack for being different. He must help her and he learns about the joys of lending a paw to a friend in need. The trailer for Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released on July 21, 2014. The film was officially announced in the DVD features of Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, along with The Great Wolf Games, with director Richard Rich showing two short clips from the storyboards of both films. Common Sense Media gave the film 3 out of 5, stating "Entertaining wolf sequel has peril and some scares".

The fifth film in the franchise, Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation, aired on TV in Mexico on March 28 and was released to DVD on August 4, 2015. It is written by Tom Kane and directed by Richard Rich. It aired in Mexico on March 28, 2015 before having its DVD premiere on August 4. The plot involves Kate, Humphrey, and the pups attempting to have a vacation together, but must flee from human wolf trappers in the process, and recaps the events as flashback scenes from past movies even the first film except for one alteration scene of the first film. Common Sense Media gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, stating "Adorable wolves take on trappers; some peril, suspense."

On April 8, 2015, three more sequels were announced for Lionsgate to distribute, the first of which was released in early 2016, and followed the "misadventures of Alpha Kate and Omega Humphrey and their three wolf pups, Stinky, Claudette and Runt, as they learn life lessons in the great outdoors".

On October 6, 2015, on Splash Entertainment's website, they have revealed the next sequel titled Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze along with sneak preview clips of the film, which was released in 2016. The other two sequel titles have also been revealed as, in order, Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs and Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom.

Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs was released on DVD and Digital HD on May 10, 2016. Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze was released on DVD and Digital HD on November 8, 2016. Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom was released on May 9, 2017.